


The Serpent Bearer's Ophidiophobia

by pessi_mista



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, Non-Canonical Ages, Phobias, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessi_mista/pseuds/pessi_mista
Summary: A nostalgic and worried Shaina reminisces about the time when she enlisted Geist's help in fighting a rather embarrassing problem.





	The Serpent Bearer's Ophidiophobia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thirteenie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirteenie/gifts).



Just because Shaina had called it a day, didn't mean she couldn't fit some extra training into what was left of the afternoon as she made her way back to her tiny house in the Amazon Village. With each step taken on the footpath that cut through the copse, she exercised the precision in her movements. She also exercised her attention as she listened to the sounds of bugs, birds, small mamals and reptiles, the rustling of leaves, the snapping of twigs under her shoes, the occasional gust of wind... 

Identifying the sound of something sliding over dry leaves, Shaina stopped in her tracks. She looked around, and in a couple of seconds spotted the sound's source. Then she flared up her cosmo and hunkered down, reaching out to the snake that was about half a meter ahead of her on the path. 

The animal turned around and responded to the calling of Shaina's cosmo, sliding toward her and wrapping itself around the gauntlet in her extended arm. Shaina got back to her feet, and with her right hand she petted the snake's head. 

"You know," Shaina whispered, "until not long ago, I'd actually have used my cosmo to kill you on the spot. I didn't want anybody to realize that I was terrified of beauties like you, so I'd have to destroy you. But now..." A weak smile rose to her lips. "Now, the feeling you inspire in me isn't fear. It's melancholy. Because you bring back memories of a friend I care a lot for. A friend I'm very worried about."

* * *

"Oh, my goddess, I can't believe it! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Geist made a brief pause, taking in some air, and then burst out laughing again. "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"That's not fun," Shaina complained. 

"I'm sorry, but never in a million years I'd have imagined that you of all people would be afraid of snakes! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" 

"Well, are you going to help me with that or not?" 

Geist struggled for a few seconds to quit laughing, and then finally nodded. "Of course. That's what friends are for." 

"Good." Shaina sat on the old wood bench, the only spot where they could rest between sparring sessions in that large clearing. A soft breeze rustled their hair, the waist scarves tied over their training suits, and the leaves in the trees encircling the rustic training ground where she'd taken her best friend to. She didn't need witnesses when discussing such an embarrassing topic. 

If Shaina had been able to hide away her fear of snakes for the four years that had passed since her arrival to Athena's Sanctuary, it had been only because by using her cosmo she could simply kill the disgusting animals whenever one of them dared cross paths with her. However, two days earlier their teacher had been present as she blasted a snake hanging from a tree and noticed something wrong about Shaina's attitude. Something desperate, irrational. 

Half an hour later, alone with their teacher in the latter's living room, Shaina had to confess her long-guarded secret. Much to her relief, her teacher had actually been supportive and understanding. But she had also demanded that Shaina fought to overcome that fear. 

"You were born under the protection of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer," her teacher had told her. "You cannot be afraid of what is essentially a symbol of your guardian constellation." 

"But nodoby has to know about it," Shaina had argued. "And as long as I can kill the monsters, what does it matter how I feel about them?" 

Her teacher had chuckled. "It's surprising to hear an animal lover like yourself talk about any species in these terms." In a more serious tone, the teacher continued, "But that's all the more reason for you to overcome your fear. Not to mention the risk that one day, for some unfortunate reason, you may find yourself temporarily or even permanently unable to use your cosmo. What if an enemy finds out about your phobia and uses it against you? What are you going to do then?" 

That conversation had given Shaina nightmares. Yes, their teacher was right. The danger was remote, but real. She had to fight her fear. And Shaina didn't get into fights to lose them. She always wanted to win, like any future Amazon should. Besides, as the teacher had pointed out, she was only thirteen. She had to take advantage of her youth, instead of letting her phobia solidify itself and become that much harder to combat if left untreated for much longer. 

From the fabric bag she'd placed near the edge of the bench, Shaina fished a thin book with a battered cover. It was titled _Fear Not: How to Overcome Your Fears and Become the Saint Athena Wants You to Be_ , and the author went by the name of Bravus Maximus. 

Geist sat by her side. Shaina handed her the book. Geist took a good look at it and said, "I didn't know the Sanctuary had its own self-help gurus." 

"You'd know it if you spent more time at the library." 

Geist shrugged. "Practice beats theory. Anyway, isn't this Bravus Maximus guy the late Lepus Saint? I find it very ironic that he'd use such a ridiculous pseudonym, given his constellation."

"I can't criticize him," Shaina said, her shoulders sagging. "I mean, I want to become the next Ophiuchus Saint, and still, here we are." 

Geist took off her mask, laying it on her lap, and gave Shaina a sympathetic smile. "But you don't have a ridiculous pseudonym. What you have is a friend who's here to help you." 

"I'm glad you mentioned that, because 'enlisting the help of a friend' is the first step in the manual." 

Geist opened the book their teacher had lent to Shaina and read its index. Meanwhile, Shaina took off her own mask and laid it atop her bag. 

After turning a few pages and apparently skimming them, Geist closed the book and handed it back to Shaina. "Forget about it. Let's do it the Geist way." 

"What do you mean?" Shaina asked alarmed. 

Geist got back up, putting her mask on the bench. Then, she closed her eyes and flared up her cosmo. A few seconds later, a snake crawled from between two trees, seemingly attracted by Geist's powers. 

Shaina winced and let out a cry. "What are you doing?!" 

Shuddering, her eyes wide open, the horrified Shaina watched the snake crawl closer and closer, until it stopped only a few steps away from Geist. Quickly covering the distance that separated her from the animal, Geist kneeled and petted its head. "Isn't it beautiful?" 

"It's a monster! Get out of the way and let me kill it at once!" Shaina roared, getting up and lighting her cosmo. 

"No. Just no." Geist grabbed the snake, who promptly wrapped itself around her right arm. She then rose and faced Shaina. "Look, starting today, I'm going to be your new teacher. First, I'm going to teach you how to bear the presence of a snake in the same place as you. Then, I'll help you get used to coming closer and closer to it, until you gather the courage to touch it. And the course will progress naturally from there until you fall madly in love with snakes, to the point that you'll feel like abandoning the Sanctuary and go serve some snake deity instead." 

"Oh, no..." Shaina withdrew her cosmo and shook her head. "Why did I have to get you into this?"

"The book did say you should enlist the help of a friend, didn't it?" 

"But then you told me to forget about the book." 

"Because practice beats theory." 

Shaina let out a defeated sigh. "Okay. But do we have to start now? Couldn't I get some time to prepare myself for this brilliant course of yours?" 

"No. It begins now, and your first lesson is right here," Geist said, making a nod at the snake in her stretched out arm. "Come on, all you have to do today is to look at our beautiful friend here for three minutes. That's it. You don't have to touch it. You don't have to come closer. You just stay there, and we'll stay here while you use your eyes." 

Shaina was going to protest, but she knew there was no point in doing that. Geist wouldn't let her escape. Besides, her friend's approach to the problem was correct. If Shaina wanted to become a true Amazon, she had to face her fears. She had to be strong. And she was lucky to have a teacher and a friend who were both willing to support her, and who believed in her capacity to overcome her phobia. 

Although looking at the snake only for a second was enough to make her shudder, and the thought of staring at it for three full minutes made part of her want to die, Shaina was now determined to save face. With a slightly shaky but still courageous voice, she said, "Okay. Let's start then." 

"Good girl!" Geist gave Shaina a reassuring smile. "If you do as I say, you'll see that your phobia will become a thing of the past in no time. And this is a battle you won't have to fight alone, because I'll always be here for you."

* * *

"Unfortunately," Shaina whispered to the snake wrapped around her gauntlet, "her predictions failed on both counts. She thought it would be a quick process, but I needed two and a half years to really stop fearing your ilk. And she said she'd always be there for me, but she had to leave me alone because she won her Cloth a little over a year after that conversation that we had, and nowadays she barely answers my letters."

While Shaina didn't care anymore for the former fact, the latter made her heart heavy. Not with resentment, but with worry. 

To Shaina, it hadn't been a surprise that Geist became the first in their group of apprentices to win her own Cloth. Her potential had always been evident. Shaina hadn't been surprised to see Geist leave the Sanctuary soon after either. Not all Saints lived in there. Many were sent onto missions all over the world, or were assigned a settlement to watch over-some tiny uninhabited Caribbean islands, in Geist's case. 

What had surprised Shaina though was the change in Geist's behavior toward her. At first, they had kept in touch by exchanging numerous letters. Twice a week, without fail, they would write to each other. The content, length and tone of Geist's letters strongly suggested that she still cared for Shaina and valued their friendship. However, her levels of interest and enthusiasm started declining seven or eight months after her departure. And this coincided with the rumors that started spreading around the Sanctuary. 

Geist was said to have acquainted herself with three former male apprentices who had all failed to won Clothes, subsequently becoming their mentor. The trio formed some sort of gang that followed her as she supposedly engaged in activities that had little to do with what a honorable warrior was expected to do. Namely, the group was rumored to be directly involved in a series of pirate attacks and murders of civilians. 

The goosebumps in Shaina's skin could be just the fault of the cold gust of wind rolling over the copse. Or it could be the fault of that side of hers-the one listening to her sixth sense-that was inclined to believe the rumors. 

"She's changed. There's no denying that," Shaina admitted as the tips of her fingers ran slowly over the snake's scales. The animal looked intently at her, as if it could understand her. "Even you pay attention to what I say, but she doesn't. Sure, until four months ago she could argue that she was an Amazon while I was still an apprentice, like my opinion mattered less because of that. But now I have my own Cloth too. And yet, she won't listen to me. These days, most of the time she won't even write back."

Nonetheless, another side of hers-the loyal, caring friend-stubbornly refused to believe the changes in Geist's behavior meant she'd become what she'd been accused of. 

"But you know what? Rumors are just rumors. They don't prove a thing. And just like I didn't give up on losing my fear of you and your family," Shaina said as she stared at the snake, "just like I persisted until we could meet here and become friends, I won't give up on Geist. I'll persist until she listens to me. So, now I'll leave you here so you can carry on with your life, and I'll go back home, and then I'll write to Geist once again, and again, and again. And I'll see if the Pope will grant me permission to go visit her. He's a very difficult man, but I'm not afraid of him. My only fear now is to lose my best friend. And I won't let that happen." 

Yet, as Shaina let the snake go, watching the animal while it crawled out of the footpath, the sinking feeling in her heart still kept her company.


End file.
